Cusco

Cusco’s Plaza de Armas at night – all photos by the author – www.dojoklo.com

Every visitor to Cusco is likely to tour the Cathedral and a couple major museums, relax in the Plaza de Armas, and marvel at the exotic offerings in the San Pedro food market. However there are additional essential sites and experiences that you may not find in your guidebook or that your tour guide might not take you to, which you don’t want to miss. Most of these lie along or mere steps off the tourist trail, and with a little planning and effort can be fit into any itinerary.

EATING

All the guide books lists the popular restaurants in Cusco, and there are many worth eating at including Pachapapa for its distinct Peruvian dishes with international flair or the MAP Cafe for its creative Andean cuisine in a unique museum setting. But the real local food is found with the local shops and vendors.

1. Picarones – An incredibly tasty snack that is a favorite among locals are Picarones, deep-fried pumpkin or squash donuts. Although delicious by themselves, they are irresistible when covered with the syrup or molasses they are always paired with. Shops and vendors selling picarones can be found throughout Cusco, so ask your hotel desk clerk for their favorite nearby spot. Be sure to bring your own handi-wipes along because after eating a couple your fingers will be hopelessly sticky, and the damp cloths they provide are already too well used to work very well!

Deep-fried and delicious Picarones

2. Tamales – As with picarones, the best tamales are found at the local shops and vendors. As you walk around the city keep your ears open to the cry of “Tamales, Tamales!” and look for a woman with a large basket in her arms or at her feet. There was one very popular vendor often under the colonnade at the north corner of the main Palza near Gatos market, though I don’t know if she is still there. Be sure to try the “dulces” or sweet ones as well as the “pollo” variety that holds a tiny bit of chicken and an olive in the center.

3. Cafe Restaurant Aldea Yanapay – Although there are many good restaurants to choose from in town, only a couple help to support social programs such as disadvantage children or orphan girls. And only one is decorated like the inside of a dreaming child’s head! This wonderful café-restaurant is run by the founder of Aldea Yanapay, a volunteer organization with various programs for the underprivileged children of Cusco, and all proceeds from the café benefit these programs. Sit on pillows, play games, hold a stuffed animal, wear a silly hat, take in a playful performance, or just sit at a table and enjoy the delicious French toast, lunch and dinner entrees, or the best giant hot chocolate in town. Ruinas 415, second floor

Interior of Cafe Yanapay

Another restaurant associated with a non-profit is the Panaderia El Buen Pastor bakery and coffeeshop. Enjoy a morning coffee while watching the racks emerge from the ovens with delicious pastries, sweets, and empanadas. You will have to keep coming back each morning in order to try all the appetizing looking offerings. Proceeds from this cafe benefit a home for orphan girls. Cuesta San Blas 579 – San Blas

4. Brick Oven Pizza – While you’ve probably had great brick oven pizza, you’ve likely never watched it being made with such flair, while listening to reggae, and being warmed by the brick oven on a chilly Cusco evening. Toss on a couple spoonfuls of the spicy aji sauce, and you won’t be able to understand how you ever ate pizza without it. Maruri near San Agustin

CULTURE

After being fortified with Cusco’s great food, venture off to explore its cultural offerings. Of course there are the Cathedral and Compañia facing the Plaza, the Inca walls and Coricancha Temple of the Sun, and the art and history museums. But there are lesser known and equally as fascinating museums.

5. Andean Children’s Art Museum – Museo de Arte de Ninos Andinos, Irq’i Yachay – This unique museum displays the artwork of Quechua children from remote Andean communities. A non-profit organization traveled to these communities to introduce the children to art and materials they had never had the opportunity to use, and the children responded with incredible creations portraying their lives, myths, dreams, and themselves. An introductory short movie of the project and a free guided tour are provided in Spanish, and donations are encouraged. Calle Teatro 344

Detail of a child’s painting in the Andean Children’s Art Museum

A similarly interesting local museum is the Taki Andean Music Museum, which not only exhibits Andean and Amazonian musical instruments, but is also a cultural center that organizes musical and cultural events, gatherings, workshops, sessions, lectures, concerts, teaches children to play, as well as promotes and supports traditional music groups. Calle Hatunrumiyoc 487 #5

SHOPPING

Of course you are going to want to bring home souvenirs to remember your experiences and unique gifts for your friends and family. Instead of grabbing the mass produced trinkets sold by every vendor and every shop, why not seek out quality handicrafts that better represents the local culture while also directly supporting local artisans and their cultural traditions.

6. Center for Traditional Textiles – A non-profit organization founded this center to preserve and continue traditional weaving, and to teach and support this work in numerous communities around Cusco. There is a very nice museum of the history and traditions of Andean textiles, and always a live weaving demonstration in the store. The beautiful items are more pricey than the tourist versions at stores and markets, but are truly hand crafted and naturally dyed. Avenida el Sol 603

7. Museo Taller Hilario Mendivil – This museum, workshop, and shop of the notable local artisan Mendivil family is famous for the unique long-necked religious figures, dressed with indigenous influences. The space also contains a small museum of historic pieces, and the proprietress may give you a tour (in Spanish). Numerous beautiful works of of both the “long-neck” style as well as several other styles are available for purchase. Plazoleta San Blas (along the right side as you stand in the plaza and face the fountain)

My Sargento figure from the Mendivil Workshop

8. Local Food Markets – Venture beyond the covered San Pedro market to the open street markets and local covered food markets in the areas behind the main market. Ask the vendors about exotic fruits or animal parts that you can’t quite identify, and try some such as the delicious cherimoya (or custard apple) and the maracuya (or passion fruit). In all markets, be aware for pick-pockets and be very careful with all belongings – carry your bags in front and go with empty pockets.

Various tasty cow parts at a Cusco market

EXPERIENCES

Travel isn’t just about seeing sights and eating food. Some of your strongest and fondest memories may come from the unique experiences you can only undertake in a foreign place. Strolling through a local market, looking behind the scenes to gain more insight into daily life, and interacting with vendors and shopkeepers can all provide these types of experiences. There are other opportunities to take advantage of in Cusco:

9. Volunteering – It sometimes seems that Cusco may have more NGO’s per capita than any other other city, particularly any tourist-oriented city. But this is due to real needs brought about by the inequities and social conditions that are common to many areas of Peru. Find an NGO (non-profit organization) that serves a need which interests you. This might include orphans, underprivileged children, single mothers, the environment, disabled children, cultural heritage, or countless other areas and needs. The South American Explorer’s Club has extensive resources on local volunteer opportunities, and there is also a helpful list of organizations here: http://www.volunteersouthamerica.net/

A student at Aldea Yanapay

I have volunteered for several weeks at Aldea Yanapay, mentioned in the Eating section above. They run an after-school program and cultural center for the disadvantaged children of Cusco, as well as other projects. You can take Spanish classes at FairPlay which in itself is an NGO that helps single mothers, and who will also assist you with volunteer placement.

10. Inti Raymi…Up Close – While many visitors to Cusco in June have the opportunity to experience the Inti Raymi Inca sun festival, those who make an extra effort can see more of the events from close-up. The festival starts at Coricancha, the original Inca temple of the sun. Arrive several hours early and you can grab a front-row spot near where the Inca King – Sapa Inca – greets the morning sun. Locate your self at the top of the hill near the curving Inca wall that now forms the base of the Santo Domingo church, so that you can view the Sapa Inca atop that location and the royal court as they stand among the terraces. Immediately after the ceremony, run just up the street to near the entrance of the church, where the procession will emerge, so that you have an up-close view of the Inca, his court, and the entire procession as they start to make their way to the Plaza de Armas. Be sure to orient yourself so that you are in the best position for photos, where the light hits the subjects and you are not facing into the sun if possible.

The Sapa Inca greeting the sun at Coricancha

A Ñusta (Inca Princess) in the procession leaving Coricancha

I have put together a list of some of my favorite additional places to visit in Cusco, including restaurants, shops, and practical resources such as banks. You can view this list of Cusco Places to Visit here: http://www.dojoklo.com/writing/cuscoplacestovisit.pdf Be sure to do your research and plan your visit to Cusco so that you can fully take advantage of all that it offers.

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Two years ago, in 2008, I ventured to the annual rebuilding of the last remaining traditional Inca rope bridge, the Keshwa Chaca, which spans the Apurimac River near Huinchiri, Peru. My mission was to photograph the locals as they spun q’olla grass into rope, constructed the bridge, and celebrated the completion with a festival of traditional dance and music.

As I was taking images of the bridge construction, this man quietly asked me to take his photo. A crowd of fellow bridge-builders quickly gathered to see it, and when I realized I had taken it in the black and white setting, I asked to do another in color. But it was too late. “Oh, es blanco y negro,” I said disappointedly, “¿un otra en color?” I asked. “¡Un otra desnudo!” an onlooker called out – “Another one in the nude!” The men erupted in laughter, the moment was gone, and I wasn’t able to take another. Luckily this one came out well, and ever since then it has been my goal to get a copy of the photograph to this man. Many people in developing countries have few, if any, photos of themselves or their family. I was sure he and his family would appreciate such a nice photo of this man standing modestly but proudly in front of the bridge he is helping to construct.

This year at bridge building time my friend Mitch Teplitsky (director of the documentary film Soy Andina) was visiting Cusco. He got in touch with me to find out more about the event and how to get there. When I learned he and his wife Doris had decided to go the following day, I begged him to find a way to print the photo and deliver it to the man. “It shouldn’t be hard,” I said, “just find a photo place on Avenida el Sol to print it out, and when you get there, just ask around, they will know him!” At least I hoped it would all be that easy. I’m not sure how they did it, but Mitch and Doris managed to print the photo, find their way to Huinchiri, and locate the man!

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This weekend – June 10-13, 2010 – is the annual reconstruction of the Keshwa Chaca, the last remaining traditional Inca rope bridge (actually made of straw or grass), which spans the Apurimac River near Huinchiri, Peru. If you are in the Cusco area, I highly encourage you to visit the bridge building and the incredible dance and music festival which follows on Sunday. It is a truly unforgettable experience.

To view photos I took of the 2008 reconstruction, check out this post. There are additional photos in the slide show on my website – www.dojoklo.com – in the Inca Bridge gallery.

This post describes my journey to get to the bridge site from Cusco. If you are a member of South American Explorers, be sure to look at my trip report online or in the binder to learn valuable information about getting to the site, what to bring (you need to bring all camping gear and food and cash for various expenses), a rough daily schedule of what to expect, and getting back home. Let me know if you went, and I’d love to see your photos.

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Here is a reposting of my Mother’s Day post from a couple years ago from Peru:

Marilyn at Aldea Yanapay with tarjeta de la Dia de las Madres that reads:“Happy Mother´s Day
Mommy, you are the prettiest
of all the parents, a flower that blooms
in my garden.
For this I love you
Mom.”

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I just learned that I’ve accomplished one of my photography goals: to have my photo on the cover of a travel guide book! My photo of the Inca King at Inti Raymi was selected to be on the cover of the Viva Travel Guide Cusco and Machu Picchu guide book. As their website explains,

“V!VA Travel Guides is a web-based community intent on collecting and sharing the most up-to-date travel info available. Essays, reviews and ratings submitted by travelers are available both online and in published travel guidebooks.”

The guidebooks, if I recall correctly, were originally only available as downloads due to them being updated so regularly. They are now offered as printed guides in paperback as well as some e-books, but are still updated frequently. They cover numerous South American countries including Peru, Columbia, and Ecuador, and they are soon branching out into Central America. You can buy the guides on their website, on Amazon, or in bookstores like Borders and Barnes and Noble. The Cusco and Machu Picchu guide with my cover photo will be released in October 2010.

If you ever attend Inti Raymi, (in the paid bleacher seats) be prepared at the end of the ceremony to go onto the field and get some quick close-up photos of the participants (and I mean close – note the 18mm focal length!) as they parade out of Sacsayhuaman. At least we were able to do that a couple years ago, when I was lucky enough to capture this dramatic shot. This was the guy who, through sheer force of will, invoked the clouds to part and the sun to shine down on us, stunning the entire crowd (which included Bill Gates that year).

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I haven’t written an update on Clara for awhile, so there is a lot to catch up on!

As previously discussed, my friend Nienke put me in touch with an American special needs teacher here, Celeste, who then arranged for a young deaf Peruvian women, Karen, to work with Clara. Finally everyone’s schedules coodinated, and they came to Yanapay to visit. Clara soon figured out that we were discussing her, and she refused to join us, acting unusually shy and hesitant. Nevertheless, Celeste explained everything to Yuri, and acted as a multi-communication translator, signing to Karen and telling me in English. Yuri was thrilled with the idea, as was Karen’s mom, whose support was also important for this to work. I was beaming with happiness, as it seemed Clara was finally going to get consistent help. In the process, I obtained my name in sign – a “d” next to my glasses. Finally Clara was forced down to join us, the idea was explained to her as best as possible, and she agreed to work with Karen.

On the first day of class, Karen and I sat down with Clara, and Clara already didn’t seem very happy. She kicked me under the table in protest, but we carried on with the lesson. Karen went through the alphabet in sign, and then seeing that she hadn’t brought any materials, I pulled out my flashcards. She went through each of those, with Clara learning the signs. She then quizzed Clara, and she remembered nearly all of them. Not knowing what to do next, I ran to the storeroom to get some drawing materials. However, when I returned, Clara had run off, and I had no success in coaxing her back. “Poco a poco” I told Karen, little by little.

The following day, Clara wouldn’t even sit down with us to start the lesson. We tried and tried to persuade her to join us, but no luck. Eventually, however, as Karen and I stood around not knowing what to do, Clara invited Karen up to the games room. Great! Clara is warming up to her teacher! I thought. Karen was hesitant, but luckily she went up and joined Clara. I left them alone, with the hope that Karen would turn it into a learning opportunity. After about 10 minutes, they came down and went into the art room. I tried to spy a bit, but mostly gave them their space. They weren’t really working with each other, but working next to each other was a start.

By the following day, Clara would no longer greet me. I assume it was because I was making her work, and perhaps because she comes to Yanapayto play, to have fun, and to be with other kids. It is entirely possible that she is in her house all day, as she no longer attends school. She wouldn’t sit down to work with Karen, and I began to think it all might fall apart. I was away from Yanapay for a few days, and was afraid the lessons be over when I returned.

Although Clara still wouldn’t greet me when I returned, she was proudly sounding out, “I am Clara!” One of the volunteers had somehow taught her that. She was also showing that she could sign her name. I joyfully discovered that Karen had brought 2 of her friends, and they all worked with Clara that day. It turns out, in my absence, the teachers at Yanapay had explained to Clara that if she wants to continue to come to Yanapay, she has to work with Karen. I was extremely curious what they were all doing in the classroom, but I left them alone, and they worked for well over an hour.

A few weeks later, Karen started a job, but she had started to go to Clara’s house on Sundays for the lessons, which are hopefully continuing. Last week, again after an absence when I went to Puno and Bolivia, I returned and saw Clara signing with Yuri. It was not longer gestures and pantomimes, but real signing, which she seemed to be doing it with new found confidence and perhaps even a slight bit more maturity than I had seen before!

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OK, so I’ve been very forgetful. I forgot to do a special post for Tracie and for Aunt Vickie and Grandma on their donation days. I will have to make that up to you… BUT, today is Gail Zimmer’s donation day and birthday! Her donation was for a doll related art project with the kids. Since I was supposed to be in the jungle now working in Pilcopata, I was going to do that at this time. However, since that gig fell through, I am carrying my art materials deep into the jungle to Iquitos next week. When I hook up with a volunteer organization, hopefully in a secluded indigenous community, I will attempt to do that project. In the mean time, here are some pictures from an outing with the Aldea Yanapay kids. We hiked just outside of Cusco, and explored a creek and some woods for the afternoon. The kids loved playing in the water, and many left quite wet, along with a couple unlucky volunteers.

Here are some shots from the Inti Raymi morning ceremony to greet the sun, at Coricancha. I got there bright and early, and hour and a half before, in order to get a good spot on the railing. But the front row was already full! What to do? Wait until someone makes the mistake of leaving their spot, and jump right in! Then push, nudge, and hold my ground for the next 3 hours.

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A map uncovered by Paolo Greer demonstrating that Hiram Bingham wasn’t the first outsider to “discover” Machu Picchu (and the farmers living there, who presumably knew it was there as well)

A few months ago I met a real life explorer in the South American Explorer’s Club in Cusco named Paolo Greer. He told me of his lifetime of searching for lost cities in the mountains of Peru, his studious research in dusty archives in Washington and Peru (I don’t think you’re allowed to say “archive” without first writing “dusty”), his innovative use of satellite maps to locate lost sites, and his technique of countering poisonous snakebites with a modified stun gun. He even mentioned an NPR show where he was referred to as the real Indiana Jones. AND, he was on the verge of breaking an amazing story of the true modern discovery of Machu Picchu.

At first I was fascinated and captivated, eager to hear of his adventures and his theories. But after a few afternoons in the clubhouse, I repeatedly overheard him tell the same stories to any eager audience. I began to suspect I had already learned all the juicy information.

Then last week, returning on a path back to Ollantaytambo after hiking to the Pumamarca ruins, we were joined by a British paleoecologist who was studying the ancient remains of mites buried in the mud of a lake. The rise and fall of the mites, it turns out, from Inca times to present, corresponds to the rise and fall of the local populations, due to the fact that the mites lived in the llama poop. Anyway, at his first mention of modern explorers, we exclaimed, “we know one of them!” Turns out he has been working with Greer, helping him get his newly gathered information into the news. And 5 days later…here it is: (sorry, some of these links don’t work anymore). And here is the tale of our first unsuccessful but unforgettable expedition to the Pumamarca ruins.

edit 2011-07-26: Paolo Greer is now mentioned in a wonderful book by Mark Adams calledTurn Right at Machu Picchu, a story partially inspired by the article that Greer was releasing in South American Explorer magazine at the time of this blog post. Greer certainly is an “obsessed amateur historian,” as Adams calls him in the book, and their meeting commencing at the Lima SAE clubhouse in Miraflores reminded me so much of my first discussion with Greer at the Cusco SAE clubhouse. Greer was enthusiastically, single-mindedly determined to share his story. My companion and I had to begin to avoid him out and about in Cusco so as not to hear his theories again and again! The paleoecologist mentioned above is also a footnote in the book, footnote 9 page 186. I put together a blog post called Exploring the Andes to discuss the new bookTurn Right at Machu Picchu, to discuss a photography e-book called Andes, and to showcase some of my favorite Peru photographs from other travelers.

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When asked a question, a Peruvian will never respond that they don’t know the answer. Instead they will always offer an answer, any answer, its accuracy and veracity: unimportant. Ask the next passing Peruvian the same question, you will get a wholly contradictory, yet equally passionate response. Put the two responders together and ask the question, and you will be either greatly amused or infinitely frustrated by the ensuing debate, depending on the importance and urgency of the question.

This becomes an issue when you are asking for the location of, say, the buses to Sicuani. I first asked a teacher at the Spanish school. “Avenida Cultura,” she confidently responded, “al lado del grifo” – next to the gas station.

“So there is only one gas station on Cultura?” I asked in Spanish, knowing that there are numerous gas stations on this street, hoping the sarcasm would translate. “No, of course not!” she smiled, amused by my bilingual wit. But returning to her serious face, she again insisted, “It is next to the gas station.” “¿Esta cerca? ¿Puedo caminar?” I asked – Is it close, can I walk to it. “Si, si, claro,” – of course.

I asked a few other people over the next week, but never got a similar, or clear response. A couple days later, I posed the question to the woman at the reception desk at my hostal. Surprisingly, she confirmed the earlier response. “Avenida Cultura. Close. Yes, you can walk to it.” “How often do the buses depart?” I asked. “Cada diez minutos,” – Every ten minutes. Based on her previously consistent record regarding similar questions, I was now certain of two things: it wasn’t close, and I’d consider myself lucky if the buses left more often than every ten days.

So I set out on a reconnaissance mission a few days before my journey. I started walking down Avenida Cultura, past one gas station – no sign of a bus terminal. Ten minutes later, another gas station. No sign of a terminal, so I asked a passing woman. “¿Sicuani?” she repeated as she looked pensively at her girl in tow. “¿Sicuani?” the little girl echoed. The woman then recalled, “Keep walking, it’s across from the hospital. When you get to the hospital, ask someone.”

About ten minutes later I stopped in a Radio Shack and happily discovered that blank CDs were 25% cheaper than in the center of town. After I bought a couple packs, I asked the woman where the paradero for the Sicuani buses is. “Two blocks, no mas. Maybe one and a half.” After three blocks I came across a bus terminal.

“Is this the paradero for the Sicuani buses?” I asked the first knowledgeable looking person I came across. “No, one block further.” And so finally, after two more blocks, just past the fourth gas station, I found my stop. Now, if I am only able to direct the taxi driver there on Friday morning.

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I´ve entered myself into another photo/ writing contest, which again turns out to be a popularity-voting contest. However with this one, there is no signing in or registering…you just click! AND, you can vote once a day, every day, and keep voting and voting and voting for me!

1. just go here:

www.gadventures.com/‎

2. look for this picture of Clara´s painted face and the blue steps:

3. click and vote daily

This way I can win a new spectacular camera, and won´t have to keep battling with the stray hair I have on my sensor which is ruining my beautiful photos.

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Sunday was El Dia de La Madre here in Peru, which is similar to Mother´s Day in the U.S., except that here all citizens are required to go to the bakery and then carry around a cake in a box covered with hearts. There were also a couple local celebrations going on in the Sacred Valley, so when I arrived at the bus “station,” I encountered a line running out onto the sidewalk. Luckily Nienke had arrived earlier, and was closer to the front of the line. I expressed that we should take a collectivo taxi instead – just a few Soles more, quicker, and probably more comfortable. But as I was trying to convice her that there is a marginal difference of safety between the driving habits of the taxistas and the bus drivers, a bus began to depart for Chinchero, with a final call for passengers. We boarded and fought for some standing room space for the 45 minute ride.

We succeeded in holding our somewhat comfortable spaces, as well as our belongings. Upon arrival in Chincheros, I stocked up on bananas and bread, and we negotiated with some taxi drivers for a ride to the terraces at Moray. I laughed heartily at their first offer for 70 soles to let them know I wasn´t a sucker gringo, and we tried to get it down to 20. None of the drivers seemed interested and they wandered off, so we stood around for a bit. One finally re-approached, we agreed on 30, and headed off across some dirt roads, through Maras, and on to Moray.

At the site Nienke worked her magic and convinced the guard that Moray wasn´t on her Tourist Ticket, and so that is why she didn´t bring it (they just recently added it to the Tourist Ticket, and her ticket had actually expired a few weeks ago. I never even bought a ticket yet.) I played along, mostly kept quiet, and in the end, we both got in for free! We had planned to hike on to Salineras, the salt making terraces, since Lonely Planet told us it was quite easy, but the nice lady who let us in for free said we would need a guide, as the trail is difficult to find along the way. So I flaged down a car driving out, we got a ride with a couple who had hired a private taxi from Cusco for the day, and off we went to Salineras. We walked across the terraces, I took 100 pictures that probably all look the same, and we hiked on down to the small village below.

We waited for a combi but they were passing us by, already full, so once again I flagged down a ride, this time with a large emtpy tourist bus returning to Urubamba. As we wandered around Urubamba looking for a place to eat, we ran across some girls in costume, so I asked if there were dances going on in the plaza today. Yes! In a half hour! Of course, this was one of the celebrations this weekend, el Señor de Torrechayoc.

We decided it was best to leave a little early so that we could manage to get back to Cusco at a reasonable hour. We headed to the bus station and again discovered that the lines were out the door. As we stood there not knowing what to do, a guy told us he could put us on a bus for Cusco without a ticket, 3.5 soles (50 cents above the typical price). He ushered us to the bus, kicked the people out of the front seats, and put us there. It turned out to be the bus that takes the side dirt roads all the way back to Cusco, and stops at every house along the way to pick up or drop off someone, but the scenery was beautiful and we eventually made it back.

The presentation of the continents went great! I contend that Cecilia and my group was the best, most prepared, and most creative! We had a couple missing kids and a couple new kids, so we rearranged the roles at the last minute, including the lead role, and it still went great. We concluded with a song:

Hanging around before the presentations

Clara as a half-butterfly (marisposa)

See Flickr for more photos, including more stomach-turning market photos, and a photo essay of “Nienke´s Day Out!”

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(Photos can be found in this Flickr set: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dojoklo/albums/72157604894550412/page1)

Jazmin y Marita

Lots of news and developments the last few days. I just found out I will not be going to Pilcopata to volunteer in July and August. The volunteer coordinator just quit, for many many reasons, mostly based around how the organization is being run and how the money is being spent. As with so many things in Peru, it always comes down to money, and it seems the woman in charge is not behaving as a professional NGO and a legitimate non-profit. And the organization is no longer going to be sending volunteers to the jungle but will be focusing on their other project.

I also just learned that I did not win the Travelocity grant for an Amazon scientific cruise, which I had hoped to go on. But that is OK because it conflicted with the Amazon River Raft Race that I will be going on. And I plan to reapply for the grant again. In other Amazon news, it the Amazon has been declared (by the Geographic Society of Lima) to be the longest river in the world. With the discovery of its true source, it is 4,388 miles in length, and beats out the Nile by 242 miles.

At Yanapay, the one-on-one lessons with Clara are not going as well this week. One of the volunteers is doing elaborate face painting, so of course Clara wants to do this. And since a week of face painting is much more important than learning to read, that´s how it goes. I have been able, after ten minutes of chasing her down and persuasion, to bring her into the classroom and do 15 minutes of work. I made some worksheets to match the words with the pictures. She has yet to learn what the words mean so I want to keep this up, but it is difficult to continue making it entertaining and fun. But Sr. Tigre begged to do Clara´s worksheets. I couldn´t refuse a kid who WANTS to do homework, so he eagerly did a set of them as well.

I also meet with a special needs teacher, who a Dutch speech therapist friend of mine happens to know, to try to find out what resources or path might be available for Clara. This teacher, Celeste, is an American who has lived here for four years, and has set up her own school for special needs kids. She does not work with the deaf, but has a colleague who does, and of course knows more about the system. Celeste has also worked with a young Peruvian deaf girl who has been well educated but is currently not working. She is going to try to bring this girl to Yanapay to meet with Clara and with Yuri and see if she can be set up as her teacher. The problem, of course, may be that there is no money to pay the teacher a small salary. I hope this works out, as it would be an ideal long term solution, but I´ll wait and see what happens.

Geography lessons at Yanapay have been going well, and I am paired with a wonderful Swedish volunteer this week. We need to come up with our weekly presentation today, which I can only hope will incorporate the chorus to “We Are the World!”